Madeira is located in Madeira, Portugal and is very close to the Canary Islands and is hence the architecture reveals a fine blend of the styles of these two neighbours and a uniqueness that is essentially Madeira.
Spanish colonial revival
The unified use of arches, courtyards, plain wall surfaces and white stucco and red tile roofs are typical to the Mediterranean / Spanish styles. Form is seen as a mass and designers seem to have been influenced by colonial buildings of Monterey, California; Moorish architecture; Medieval Spanish and Italian church architecture; ultra baroque design of colonial Spain and Madeira, Portugal; rural forms of Andalusia; Italian Romanesque and Renaissance revival elements. The buildings are segmented rectangular masses facing south with gardens in the rear. The central point of the building is the living room with the master bedroom to the north. The kitchen and the dining areas open out of the central axis and form an axis of their own. A terrace is usually included in the kitchen side of the house to be used as a sit out or a dining area.
The façade of the building is punctuated with deep recessed openings facing the street in the manner of the cortijos of Andalusia. The rear elevations have large glazed openings with multi coloured glass for play of light. These open into the rear gardens of the house. The houses are an exquisite blend of modernity and tradition. The interconnections between the rooms are picturesque and modern. The doors are vertical and most of the French windows are 4ft wide with four or five lights. They are usually in pairs with narrow 3½ inches wide sash and Simple Square or bevelled muntin profiles. They open inwards and are centred in the exterior wall thickness with or without a window seat.
Hallways are minimal while rooms have volume and are functional. The hallways have vaulted ceilings or flat ceilings and use beams that are larger than required and spaced close to each other.
The floors are laid out with brightly coloured patterned tiles and are bordered in some instances. Fireplaces have plaster surrounds that are tall with tapered hoods that zero in at the ceiling.
Vernacular architecture:
Though Madeira is an integral part of Portugal, it has developed distinct qualities over time. The hybrid pedigree of the island has given rise an elegant vocalization in the architecture. The regional government has also given careful thought to urban development and encouraged urbanization of Madeira, Portugal in contrast with the discouragement given to coastal property development and exploitation. It has also discouraged leisure construction and tourism in favour of broader development and multi sector growth. Young architects were encouraged to contribute their might to the development of the various properties in Madeira, Portugal. Though most of these architects were trained in modern concepts of “scientific” and functional architecture, old environments largely influenced them. Geometry and proportion were considered very important and symmetry was the guiding principle with regard to axes, rotation, stretchings or shrinkings or mirror symmetry. Moreover, the impact of industrialization was considered to be detrimental to vernacular architecture and its preservation.
Vernacular houses in Madeira, Portugal, range from stately manor houses to elegant country homes; farm houses and rustic cottages. The history and culture of the peoples is represented in the antiques, fine art and furnishings of the homes.
Manor houses or Casas Antigas are elegant homes that were originally conceptualized in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Quintas e Herdades are classical agricultural farms and country estates. The Casas Rusticas are distinguished country homes constructed out of regional material. Though these homes are dimensionally very small, they are practical in design and comfortable to live in. Many of these homes have been converted into holiday homes as a means of preserving their architectural grandeur. These traditional houses in Madeira, Portugal, Portugal are architecturally similar to the Spanish architecture. The 11th to 13th century Gothic architecture left its imprint on many of the houses and manors of Madeira, Portugal, Portugal. The Manueline Style of the late 15th and 16th century is a classical style that is elaborately decorative. Small motifs of classical ornamentation were also introduced in the buildings that were impacted by the Gothic style. This style was also known as Atlantic gothic or derived from the sea. Christian iconography is combined with shells, bunches of Coral, heraldic coats of arms, religious symbols and imaginative waterborne shapes as well as Moorish themes are combined and integrated into the existing styles. These manor houses have tiled panels, doorways, rose windows, balustrades and lintels. These are decorated with everything from a corncob to a stalk of cardoon. The impact of the Baroque style can also be seen in some of the buildings. A unique feature of some of these buildings is the use of glazed tiles called Azulejos for decorating walls and streets. The houses are of Palladian proportions and have excellent acoustics. They are surrounded by ornamental gardens. The inner roof is often made of wooden panelling and the floors are tiled. Today most of the manor houses, and old rustic dwellings have been converted into guest houses and homestays for tourists visiting Protugal.
The traditional houses in Madeira, Portugal, Portugal are built of wood and stone. They are generally two storied structures. The ground floor was used for housing the cattle and the upper floors were used by the family. The floor of the upper storey was usually made of wood. The heat emanating from the bodies of the cattle living in the ground floor was believed to be beneficial to human beings. It also helped keep the house warm in winter. The wooden facades also have a warm beauty of their own. Every house is individually styled and reflects the character of the owners. The doors are beautifully carved and the windows have wooden shutters which can be closed from inside the house. These hand made shutters also allow light to permeate through them and the house has a suffused glow that is very attractive and artistic. The decorated partitions in the windows add charm to the whole effect. The roofs of these houses are made of tiles and kept in place with stones. The outer surface of the walls is left untouched by paint to testify to the skill of the mason who built them. Coloured lime used on these walls to create borders around windows and doors, blend beautifully with the surroundings and adds to the general impression of rich colour. Stones are used to create passageways and courts that are often covered with grass and moss. The stairs are also made with stones cut from the neighbouring quarries. The kitchen of these houses is endowed with stone chimneys and ovens which are imposing and graceful.
A number of housing units were built in Madeira, Portugal under the National Housing system. These were cooperating housing units which are modernist in their approach at commercial construction. Standardization and component industrialization are predominant features in this design. However, the houses do not suffer from the problem of uniformity commonly associated with such housing. The landscape planning takes care of providing quality open spaces, gardens and fountains. An effort has been made to integrate these houses with the historical locale of the place and the effect is one of gradual and graceful blend of old and new. Design considerations include characteristics of the locale, topography and climate.
The houses themselves are based on courtyard housing models. They are one or two storey houses with a courtyard in the back and the front. Future extensions to the property have also been given some thought while constructing these properties. Most of these houses contain a living; a dining and a kitchen are located on the ground floor with the entrance from the courtyard. The bedrooms, dormitories, private w.c. and terrace are on the first floor. Since most of the planning and design of the houses was done in consultation with the future occupants, the houses are practical and well suited to the lifestyle and culture of the people.
Urban Housing projects
Another kind of urban housing project is the social housing project. The aim is to reduce unit cost by control on inputs such as labor and material. These are also referred to as limited budget housing. Different styles and designs are available in this kind of housing too. Owners had the option of suggesting changes to the interiors in accordance with their needs and tastes. These are also courtyard types of houses with terraces in the upper floor for open space. These houses have one or two rooms on the ground floor and the bedrooms in the upper portions of the houses. Car parking is allowed in the general car park. However, of late owners have converted the courtyards into covered car parks for individual use. The outer walls are whitewashed and stucco ornamentation with a protrusion limit of 1 cm is common. Stairways are made of wood or painted steel. There are no ledges, verandas or any other kinds of protrusions to these houses.
The design logic takes into consideration the topography and drainage is located accordingly. The terraces and courtyards face the public road and are lined with trees and plants to provide a beautiful façade to the houses along with the Alentejo or the white paint on the outer walls of the houses. The gates of these houses are high as the patio wall and the doors, windows and terraces are located toward the street. |
